THE people who syndicate daytime TV shows sure have their work cut out for them.
On the one hand, they don’t want to shatter the complacency of daytime couch potatoes with new shows that come across as strikingly different than what the audience is already accustomed to.
On the other hand, they don’t want to come before the managers of local TV stations with pitches for shows that are identical to so many programs already on the air.
What’s a syndicator to do, especially these days, when there are already about a dozen lookalike talk shows and 10 court shows crammed onto the daytime TV schedule?
Well, in the case of two new syndicated shows, the solution was to build on formats that are already familiar, and then add some twist to the proceedings that the other guys don’t have.
In the talk show “House Calls,” airing weekdays at 4 p.m. on UPN/Ch. 9, the gimmick is that the host – Dr. Irvin Wolkoff, psychiatrist – visits his guests in their own homes, where he counsels them in the comfort of their own dens, kitchens or living rooms.
In the court show “Power of Attorney,” airing weekdays at 9 a.m. on Fox/Ch. 5, the litigants are represented by celebrity lawyers. On all the other court shows, the plaintiff and defendant represent themselves.
Do the gimmicks work? The answer is: Yes and no.
The yes is for “House Calls.” The no is for “Power of Attorney.”
“House Calls” didn’t sound to me like a show that I would like. In fact, every time I’ve described the concept to people, I’ve gotten big laughs.
The surprise is: It works, and only partially because of the gimmick of setting the conversation in guests’ homes.
The real key to “House Calls” is the intense Dr. Wolkoff, who is authoritative and unflinching in the way he directs his interviews with troubled couples, while, at the same time, managing to remain gentle and compassionate.
Nobody throws chairs or shouts profanity on “House Calls,” although there is a great deal of crying. People used to call a show like this a “weeper,” an afternoon TV show aimed primarily at housewives and specializing in real-life stories about love, either lost or redeemed.
If you like this kind of thing, “House Calls” is a welcome alternative to all the freaks and geeks who have taken up residence on daytime TV in recent seasons.
Meanwhile, “Power of Attorney” makes you wonder how low the legal profession can go.
Celebrity lawyers who have agreed to represent a bunch of hapless litigants suing each other over broken car stereos and the like include Chris Darden, Dominic Barbara, Geoffrey Fieger, Gloria Allred and a slew of others.
Thus, instead of seeing the litigants bicker as they do on every other court show, on “Power of Attorney,” you get arguments between headstrong opposing counsels, each of whom seems bent on upstaging everyone else in the courtroom.
If you want to see attorneys argue, then more “Power” to you. The whole concept just makes me scratch my head and wonder: What’s with the legal profession that some lawyers think it’s OK to “practice” law in phony TV courtrooms?
